


Finding a Voice

by vix_spes



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, M/M, Post-Rogue One, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Recovery, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-05-06
Packaged: 2020-02-27 01:36:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18729058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vix_spes/pseuds/vix_spes
Summary: The miraculous had happened. Somehow, Krennic was dead, the Death Star had been destroyed and both Galen and Bodhi had survived. Yet, this Bodhi wasn't the same man Galen had fallen in love with.





	Finding a Voice

**Author's Note:**

> Written for this prompt at the Rogue One kink meme [Bodhi/any, loud sex](http://rogueonekink.dreamwidth.org/1084.html?thread=178492#cmt178492)

Reuniting with Bodhi was nothing like Galen imagined.

For a start, he had never thought it would happen; for all that they had talked of a life beyond Eadu, Galen had never expected it to be anything but a fantasy. He had honestly thought that the desperate, all-consuming kiss they had shared in his private rooms before Bodhi had departed for Jedha and Saw, Galen’s transmission hidden in his boot, that those too short minutes would be the last time that they would be together. That belief had solidified when Krennic had discovered the betrayal and Galen had made the subsequent discovery that his daughter, that Jyn, had survived. He had honestly thought that the galaxy was telling him that his time was up, and he had made his peace with that.

The last thing that he had expected was to wake up in the med bay of the Rebel Alliance and be told that not only had his transmission been received but that his daughter and his lover were on their way to Scarif to retrieve the plans. To carry out what Galen had once envisioned. Galen had shrugged off the concerns of the medical personnel that he wasn’t physically strong enough to be out of bed and pleaded with Mon Mothma to be allowed in the command centre during the mission. He didn’t care if they thought that he should still be resting due to his proximity to the explosions on Eadu and he told them so.

Indeed, Galen was very explicit that, if Jyn and Bodhi failed to return from Scarif, then they should have left Galen on Eadu to die. He was well-aware of the muttered comments and rolled eyes from the gathered senators and rebels, completely cognisant that they felt he was being melodramatic, but Galen was doing no such thing. He had lost his daughter and the love of his life once before, he had no intention of it happening again. Galen was also well aware of the suspicious looks directed at him, of the armed guards at his back. He was the man responsible for this monstrosity and they didn’t trust him; he was being tolerated for the sake of Jyn. And, even then, he got the feeling that she was barely tolerated.

In the end, he had been lucky. Or maybe it had been the will of the Force. Either way, Galen didn’t care because both Jyn and Bodhi were alive and back with the rebels. It had been touch and go, with the medics telling him that it was a miracle that they had survived – that any of them had survived – but Bodhi, in particular. Galen was aware of that, having been stood in the command centre listening to every single thing that he could. It felt as though his heart had stopped in his chest when they heard the explosion, when they lost contact with Rogue One and the life-giving organ had only restarted when Bodhi’s beloved voice had come back over the connection, urging them to destroy the shield wall.

Minutes later, his heart had been in his mouth, hands clenching into ineffectual fists at his side as he heard Jyn, his little Stardust, facing up to Krennic, the man who had killed her mother without a second thought. Galen had been full of pride and terror in equal measure. There was so much of Lyra in Jyn, in her courage and in the way that she refused to back down from a confrontation. He had felt sick with relief when he heard that Krennic was dead and the conviction in Jyn’s voice as she answered Cassian’s question as to whether anyone could hear them in the affirmative.

Galen’s knees finally failed him, and he had sunk to the floor, tears running down his face as Bodhi’s voice crackled over the comms, confirming that all members of Rogue One were onboard and that they were returning to Yavin 4. Part of Galen realised that there was something off in Bodhi’s voice but, in all honesty, Galen was so relieved that Bodhi and Jyn were alive that he didn’t concern himself overmuch. It was only when Rogue One had landed and the medics had pushed their way past him, only to return with the prone form of Bodhi between them on a stretcher that Galen was able to place the unfamiliar quality in Bodhi’s voice; pain.

He had blindly stumbled after them, dimly recognising Jyn being escorted in the same direction as well as three men that Galen didn’t recognise but presumed that one of them was Captain Andor and thus the other members of Rogue One, as Bodhi had dubbed them.

In the portion of the Rebel Alliance building which was serving as a med-bay, Galen found himself torn. Who should he go with? His daughter or his lover? Bodhi was clearly the more injured of the two but, equally, he hadn’t regained consciousness since they had brought him off the ship.

The decision was taken out of his hands by the medics, who informed him politely but somewhat curtly that they were going to be placing Bodhi into a tank of as much bacta as they could muster but they could make no promises as to the amount of healing that was possible given the massive injuries that Bodhi had sustained and the meagre resources that they were working with. Galen had been permitted a couple of minutes to whisper privately in Bodhi’s ear and then, pressing one final kiss to Bodhi’s forehead – one of the few patches of skin that seemed un-marred by burns, Galen had been unceremoniously pushed out of the way.

He turned to move towards Jyn but was reluctant to intrude, given the closeness of the dark-haired rebel at her side. And then an opportunity appeared with the arrival of the rust-haired general – Draven, he thought it was – who diverted the rebel’s attention. That must be Captain Andor then. As the general drew the captain away, Galen seized his opportunity.

“Stardust.” Another man might have been embarrassed by the way that his voice cracked on that single word but not Galen. Just as he had been so certain that the last time he would see Bodhi had been in his rooms, Galen had been utterly convinced that when he had seen his daughter on Eadu, rain wet hair plastered to her face, which was smudged with soot from the explosions, that it was a gift from the Force.

“Papa!”

With one word, Galen was holding his daughter in his arms again. it had been thirteen years since he had held her. Back then, she had been an eight-year-old who had left her beloved Stormy doll in a field as she ran for her life, now she was a young woman -  a Rebel – but he loved her no less. Galen had no doubt that there would be awkward conversations to come and recriminations too, but he didn’t care. He was alive. Jyn was alive. And so was Bodhi.

Before either of them could say anything, the medics were there, pulling Jyn away to check her over. Galen released his grip only to feel fingers grasp onto the hem of the borrowed tunic that he was wearing as Jyn turned a familiar look on him. It was one that he had known well, for it worked better on him that Lyra, a pleading look that had served Jyn well when she begged for just one more story before bed. It worked just as well now as it had done then, and Galen followed without a word, staying close as Jyn was checked over by the medics, answering all of their questions as her eyes darted over every now and again just to check that he was still there.

It wasn’t until Jyn was considered well enough to talk to the leaders of the Rebel Alliance about what had happened on Scarif that Galen had the opportunity to speak to the medics who were, worryingly, still working on Bodhi.

“How…” Galen’s voice cracked, and he started again, “how is he?”

The medic that glanced up was clearly frustrated but softened ever so slightly when she saw Galen’s face.

“It’s serious. I won’t lie. He’s badly injured and the supplies that we have are limited. But the fact that he’s made it this far is positive.”

“What … what are his injuries?” Stars, Galen had to pull himself together.

“The most pressing are serious burns and shrapnel injuries which are most likely caused by a C-25 fragmentation grenade, the same as the gentleman over there but his armour protected him from the worst of it. Beyond that, there is evidence of several days malnutrition and dehydration, bruises, rope burns to his neck and wrists as well as nasty and undoubtedly painful sores on his feet. I don’t like what the brain scans are showing either.”

The litany of injuries seemed never-ending and Galen closed his eyes as he swayed in shock. This was his fault. There was no doubt that all of the injuries with the exception of the grenade were as a result of Bodhi’s time with Saw, a situation that Galen had sent him into. Galen had known that Bodhi had an inner strength that even he was unaware of, but this was proof of just how strong he was, and Galen hoped with every fibre of his being that he got the chance to tell Bodhi that and how proud he was. Reaching out, Galen couldn’t resist fingering a lock of dark hair, wishing that there was something he could do, that he wasn’t completely useless.

“Little brother is strong. He will come back to you. Trust in the Force.”

Galen turned to see one of the men that had returned with Jyn and Bodhi, the one that wore robes and carried a staff. A Guardian of the Whills? “You seem confident.”

“I trust in the Force and it leads me true. You must do the same.”

Galen had never really believed in the Force; he was a scientist who dealt in cold, hard facts. Yet, for some reason, he couldn’t help but wonder if there was some truth to it. As skilled as this motley crew was, surely there had to be something more to it, something that had aided them. Maybe it had been the Force. Out of nowhere, he remembered an old saying that Lyra had used to utter; ‘the strongest stars have hearts of kyber’.

Strange to think how kyber had both cost him the first love of his life whilst bringing the second to him.

(~*~)?

Several hours later, Galen had slipped into a light doze at Bodhi’s bedside, the medics taking pity on him and doing their best not to wake him as they came around to check on their patient. They didn’t have enough bacta to put him in a tank so had had to resort to the next best thing which was soaking bandages in the gelatinous substance. He only stirred when he felt a soft touch to his arm and turned to see Jyn stood there, watching with an unreadable expression on her face.

“He’s not just some random pilot that you convinced to carry your message, is he? He said he barely knew you but that isn’t the truth, is it?”

“Jyn?”

“Don’t lie to me, papa. I’ve heard enough lies in my lifetime.”

“No, he’s not just some random pilot. Bodhi is very much more than that.”

Jyn’s lips twisted as she battled internally with both her thoughts and his words. “I don’t understand though. Your message to Saw, to _me_ , you didn’t mentioned Bodhi at all. You said,” Jyn took a deep breath, “you said that you only thought of me when you were feeling strong because the pain of losing me, of losing mama, was too unbearable. Did you mean that at all? Or was it just pretty words to make sure that I did as you asked? Make sure that I got the plans and gave you the opportunity to appease your guilty conscience?”

“Jyn, no. It was nothing like that. I meant every word that I said in my holo. I loved, love, you and Lyra very much, nothing will ever change that. After Lah’mu, I mourned your mother – and you – for a long time and I honestly thought that was it for me. I had had love and happiness and I had lost it. And then Bodhi came into my life.” Galen spared a second to glance fondly at that oh-so beloved face, mostly hidden beneath bacta soaked bandages. “I resisted for a long time. I felt that I was betraying Lyra, betraying you. I felt that I had no right at a second chance at happiness given what I was working on. But, the months passed, and I saw Bodhi more as he became a regular pilot for Eadu and my attraction, my feelings for him, didn’t diminish. If anything, they grew and, eventually, I decided to stop resisting. I convinced myself that your mother would not have hated me for my actions. That, by loving Bodhi, I did not love Lyra or you any less.”

“But why didn’t you say any of this on the message? What would Bodhi have thought when you said nothing about him?”

“Bodhi never saw the message. He was never supposed to. It was simply too dangerous. There was too much risk involved already … if any of the Empire had caught Bodhi before he reached Saw then there is no telling what they would have done. Besides, if that message had been the last thing that you saw of me, I didn’t want to throw in that not only had I betrayed the galaxy by building the Death Star, but the news that I have a lover as well.”

Jyn was silent for a long time before Galen prodded her. “Jyn? Do you think you could accept Bodhi and I being together if…” Galen couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence ‘if Bodhi survived’.

“I don’t know.” Jyn leant forward and made as though to touch Galen’s hand before aborting the movement halfway through. “I’m not saying that I can’t but it’s just a lot to take in. A week ago, I was on Wobani resigned to dying on a prison planet. I thought that I was an orphan, completely alone in the galaxy. Then I was rescued for my connection to Saw and, when I saw him again for the first time in the six years since he abandoned me, I also found out that my father was alive, and I wasn’t an orphan as I’d thought. Add to that Eadu and the fear that I’d lost you as soon as I’d found you and the mission to Scarif and, just … I’m exhausted. I need time to process, to wrap my head around everything. I want to be happy for you, Papa. I _am_ happy for you and I want to accept you and Bodhi, but I need time. Can you give me that?”

Galen smiled a little sadly and took Jyn’s hand, pressing a kiss to it. “After the life you’ve been forced to live given my choices, I can give you all the time in the world.”

Anything further that Galen was going to say was halted when he saw the figure of Captain Andor come up behind Jyn and touch her lightly on the shoulder.

“Jyn? I’m sorry, General Draven wants to speak with us again.”

Jyn looked torn so Galen made the decision for her and squeezed her hand reassuringly before releasing it. “Go. They need you and I’m not going anywhere.”

He watched as Jyn cast a glance at Bodhi’s still form as she stood, hesitating for a moment before she stooped and pressed a kiss to Galen’s cheek, the action so unexpected that it brought a tear to his eyes.

“I’ve missed you, Papa.”

Galen could scarcely swallow around the lump in his throat so Jyn was almost at the door of what was functioning as the medical bay by the time he managed to speak, although it could be described as a croak at best.

“I’ve missed you too, Stardust … I’m proud of you.”

Galen watched until Jyn had disappeared out of sight before he turned his attention back to Bodhi’s far too still form. “You need to heal so you can come back to me, love. You did it, you helped save the galaxy and we survived. We both survived. We get to live the rest of our lives together; the thing that we never dared to dream of. So, you need to wake up Bodhi, because living without you will be unbearable. Please, Bodhi. I love you, my magpie, come back to me.”

~*~

In the end, it was a torturous few days before Bodhi awoke. Days where Galen refused to leave his side except for necessary breaks and the few occasions that he was summoned by Mon Mothma and the Princess Leia. The rebels had the plans for the Death Star, the plans that Jyn and Cassian had transmitted from Scarif, but the plans paled in comparison when they had the creator of the planet killer available to them.

Galen talked the pilots through the weakness that he had placed at the heart of the Death Star until his head spun and his voice was raw. He had watched as the X-wing squadrons took off, hoping that his attempts at corralling the Empire had been enough.

By the time that the Death Star had been destroyed by a sharpshooting boy from Tatooine of all places, Bodhi’s bacta-soaked bandages had been changed four times and, although he still wasn’t conscious, the medics were making encouraging sounds. Apparently, his wounds were reacting as well as they had hoped for with the bacta and that it was just a matter; they simply had to be patient. Galen understood that, and normally he was incredibly patient, but it just wasn’t that easy. He needed to see Bodhi, to hold him, speak with him, kiss him. Galen had been told that Bodhi had seen him carried onboard ship on Eadu, that he knew Galen was alive but that was merely small comfort.

In the end, Bodhi started to show the first signs of waking during the medal ceremony. Galen had been offered a medal – just as Jyn had – but they had both refused, the offer not sitting well with the knowledge of what they had done in the past. Jyn had still attended the ceremony while Galen had opted to remain with Bodhi. He had heard the celebrations quite clearly though, the cheers and applause ringing through the base. When it came, the squeeze of his hand was so tenuous that Galen thought he had imagined it. but then Bodhi had moaned softly, his eyelashes fluttering before he had subsided. The medic that heeded Galen’s frantic calls was relaxed. Stating that Bodhi was now simply sleeping and would wake soon. They weren’t wrong. Galen awoke from his sleep to feel familiar fingers tracing over his face and most beloved features blinking tiredly at him.

Galen had been unable to contain his shout of joy as he had reverently covered Bodhi’s face with butterfly kisses amid whispers of love and pride, happy tears sliding down his cheeks as he welcomed his magpie home.

~*~

It didn’t take long for Galen to realise that the Bodhi he had sent off from Eadu with a parting kiss, was very different to the Bodhi that had been returned to him from Scarif. More than once, Galen had found himself questioning what he had done, whether the differences that he now saw in his lover were as a result of his actions. For the differences were noticeable. The Bodhi that Galen had first met on Eadu had been vocal and feisty and the centre of everything. Indeed, the first time that they had slept together, Galen had wondered if the whole base was aware of their actions with how loud Bodhi was. Now, he was the complete opposite. No longer as vocal as he once was, Bodhi more resembled a small, sad Kath hound and Galen was at a loss as to how he could reverse the damage.

It was the little things where it was most apparent. The base on Yavin 4 was pretty basic but Galen had been given a room that they shared once Bodhi had been released from medical. The small, cynical part of Galen privately wondered if he had been given a room so that they knew where he was, and they could keep an eye on him.

It was nice sharing a room again, living in the same space. Back on Eadu, Bodhi officially bunked in with the other pilots but, in reality, he shared Galen’s quarters. Well, shared was a bit of an exaggeration. Bodhi monopolised the space in the best kind of way, filling Galen’s empty world with his bright smile and happy chattering. Galen hadn’t nicknamed him magpie for no reason. Amidst the dark, dampness of Eadu, Bodhi stood out like the sun and Galen was more than happy to orbit around him. It had been those memories of Bodhi, chattering and bright as he lit up Galen’s world, that Galen had cherished when he had sent him off to Saw with the transmission, keeping them close to his heart with his memories of Jyn and Lyra.

Those memories were now all but incompatible with the real-life Bodhi in front of him. It was as though they were two different people. Where Bodhi had once filled the space, he now cowered in a corner. Where once Galen had had to kiss him to quiet his magpie, now Bodhi didn’t utter a word. Something had happened. Someone had done this.

One thing was for sure. In order for Galen to reverse the damage done to Bodhi, he had to know precisely what damage had been done.

Asking Jyn for advice had been one of the most awkward conversations in his life, particularly given that she was still coming to terms with the knowledge that her father and Bodhi were in a relationship. However, it had been necessary for him to grasp what had happened once Bodhi had left Eadu and Galen. If Bodhi wouldn’t talk to him, then Galen was willing to go to the people who would. Jyn would be his first point of call and then it would be Corporal Tonc, who had been inside the cargo ship with Bodhi during the assault on Scarif and who, by all accounts, was responsible for Bodhi being severely injured as opposed to dead.

Tracking Jyn down had been half the battle. Ever since their victorious return from Scarif and the subsequent destruction of the Death Star, Jyn and Captain Andor had been working with Sergeant Melshi who had refused to let the injuries he had sustained on Scarif stop him from training the newest Pathfinders. Galen may not know his daughter well anymore, but he hadn’t been remotely surprised by her decision to train with the Pathfinders, sharing the knowledge that she had gained from her childhood spent with Saw and the Partisans. Still, he had finally managed to find her in an isolated corner of the Alliance base and, to his relief, she had agreed to accompany him and answer him questions, letting him lead her to a relatively private corner where they wouldn’t be disturbed.

“Jyn, please. I have to know. What did Saw do to Bodhi?”

“What makes you think he did anything?”

“Because the man that currently occupies my heart and my bed is a shadow of his former self and I need to know what happened to him. Jyn, I beg of you, answer my question.”

The long pause before Jyn’s answer did nothing to ease Galen’s fears. “I can’t say for certain; I didn’t see Bodhi until we were on the transport, but I have a good idea. It won’t be what you want to hear…”

Galen steeled himself. “I’m aware of that but I need to know. Please, Stardust.”

The words, when they came, were not what Galen expected to hear.

“How well did you know Saw?”

“Not well at all; he was your mother’s contact. She knew him through Has Obitt and he assisted us – you – for Lyra’s sake rather than mine.”

“Why do you think there is no sign of Saw’s fighters here? Or talk of them?”

“I suppose I hadn’t really given it much thought… I always had a tendency to lose myself in my work. Your mother was the sensible one.”

“Saw and his fighters are extremists, even by Alliance standards. The techniques of him and his Partisans was completely at odds with those of Bail Organa and Mon Mothma, more terrorism than anything else. It probably didn’t help that Saw nearly killed the Princess Leia with a bomb. Saw may have raised me after Krennic killed Mama and took you away, but that doesn’t mean that I was oblivious to his faults. He won’t have believed Bodhi or his intentions, won’t have trusted him and will have done everything he could to try and prove that he was right. That Bodhi was a plant from the Empire. Saw will have done everything he could to try and make Bodhi recant, make him admit that he was working for the Empire; no food, no water, force marching him on the trip from Jedha City to the Catacombs.”

Galen felt his heart sink with every word that fell from Jyn’s lips, yet he knew that wasn’t everything. “There’s more, isn’t there?”

“You might need this,” Jyn pushed a small flask across the table. “Corellian brandy. Don’t ask where it came from.”

She waited until Galen took a swig after a pointed glance. “I didn’t see Bodhi once we arrived at the Catacombs, I was taken straight to Saw so I just know this from Cassian. He said that Bodhi was in a cell, all but catatonic. That he only responded when he was asked if he was the pilot. Saw had a creature that he kept in the catacombs, a Bor Gullet. It’s a creature that Saw used on people that he suspected weren’t telling the truth. The Bor Gullet has empathic abilities; it can read your thoughts and feeds off emotions. The problem is, in the process, it tortures you and by the time it has finished, most of those subjected to it have lost their mind.”

Without a word, Galen reached for the flask and downed it. “Saw … Saw did that to Bodhi? To my Bodhi?”

It explained so much. Why Bodhi had been so unlike himself since he had woken up. Bodhi had been _tortured,_ for something that Galen had asked him to do. Yet, despite his horror, Galen couldn’t help but be proud. That Bodhi had been tortured, had suffered so much, yet he had managed to not just escape from the Catacombs and Jedha but be able to direct them to Galen on Eadu and then pilot Rogue One not just to Scarif but back to the Alliances current base on Yavin 4. Galen’s lover was incredible, there was no doubt about it. And that was even without taking into consideration what had befallen Bodhi during the assault on Scarif. Galen almost didn’t want to talk to Tonc, but he knew that he had to, had to know the whole story so that he could help Bodhi recover to the best of his ability.

It wasn’t difficult to find Tonc as the man spent both his waking and sleeping hours in the hanger, just like all of the other pilots. It was harder to get him to talk. Tonc may not verbalise it, but it was clear that he blamed Galen for the loss of his friends on Scarif; if it hadn’t been for Galen designing and building the Death Star, then they wouldn’t have been on that planet in the first place. No matter what Galen said – or offered – Tonc didn’t want to talk about his time on Scarif. Didn’t want to talk about what had happened to Bodhi and himself. In the end, feeling no embarrassment whatsoever, Galen resorted to begging, not just on his behalf but Bodhi’s as well. There was nothing beneath him if it meant getting his Bodhi back. Luckily for him, it worked. Tonc talked.

“Fine. But only for Bodhi. You understand that? He did some quick thinking, both as we left Yavin 4 and also as we approached Scarif. He outsmarted the Empire and got us past the shield gate, setting us down on one of the landing pads.

Jyn, Captain Andor and K2 said that they were going to go and find the Death Star plans that you had hidden on the base. General Melchi was to lead the volunteers and distract the Empire from what Jyn and the others were trying to do. Bodhi and I, as well as a few others, stayed on board the ship. ‘Keep the engine running; you’re our only way out of here.’ That’s what they said to him and that’s exactly what he did.

The Empire sent a time aboard the ship to inspect it, but Bodhi was as cool as you like. He asked if they were looking for the manifest and, when they said they were, directed them below where a few of us were waiting to despatch them. It worked. And then, when Jyn and Cassian were finding the files to send to the Alliance, Bodhi distracted the Empire. He told us to distract the Empire, sending them to the wrong landing pads, getting them as far away from Jyn and Cassian as possible. We did that and it was working, but still the Empire came. It was never-ending.

Finally, we heard from Jyn and Cassian. They had the plans, but they needed to get a message out and they needed us to do it. They needed us to connect into the comms tower and patch them in from the landing pad, so that the plans could be transmitted to the Alliance.

Bodhi did it. I wasn’t sure that he had it in him, but he did everything that was asked of him and more. He spoke to General Raddus and told him that the message was coming through and then our luck ran out. There were just too many Stormtroopers. Not enough Rebels. I don’t think they really knew who we were, but a group of Empire lackeys sensed that something wasn’t right and tossed a C-25 fragmentation grenade into the ship. It didn’t kill us, but it was bloody close; I never believed in the Force before but, I swear, something was looking out for us. We should have died. More than that, Bodhi should never have been able to pilot that ship as injured as he was, but he did. Not only did he pilot it, but he stopped to pick up Chirrut, Baze and Melchi as well as Jyn and Cassian. And then he flew back us back to base. And there you have it.”

“Thank you, Corporal Tonc. I know this wasn’t easy for you.” Galen inclined his head and turned to leave.

“Wait!”

Galen turned to see Tonc clearly struggling with something.

“Look, I don’t know that I like you, but you deserve to know this. Bodhi said something. After he had spoken to the General, before they threw the grenade. He said, ‘this is for you, Galen’.”

Galen’s chest was tight, and he had to swallow several times before he could force the words out. Bodhi had done this – all of this – for Galen. All the more reason for Galen to rectify things.

~*~

Slowly, more slowly than Galen would really like, Bodhi slowly started to come back to himself, but it was in baby steps. Galen’s talk with Tonc had helped, but any progress was incremental. Always a case of one step forward and two steps back. Every time Galen thought that they were making progress, something happened that set Bodhi back. The general state of affairs didn’t really help either. They were living on a Rebel base, constantly being chased by the Empire, which meant that tensions were constantly running high. It didn’t matter how much people cared for each other, somebody would inevitably snap and, while most could shake that off, Bodhi couldn’t. While before, he would have made a sassy retort or laughed it off, now he ended up quaking in a corner, eyes wide with fear as he apologised profusely. Galen was innately shy himself, and a patient person but, even so, he sometimes found it frustrating. Particularly when it appeared that there were people other than him that Bodhi found it easier to talk to.

The pilots including the revered Luke Skywalker. The handsome former smugglers, now heroes of the Republic, Han Solo and Lando Calrissian. Galen tried not to be jealous, he really did. It wasn’t easy though. Galen had never vocalised it, but he had always been aware of the differences between him and Bodhi. Not in the terms of rank, but in the fact that Bodhi was still relatively young and undeniably handsome whilst Galen was definitely middle-aged and had more grey-hairs than he cared to admit. These mavericks that were being revered by the Republic were both young, handsome and brave. They also hadn’t designed and built the Death Star.

As such, Galen merely hovered protectively as Bodhi discussed ship modifications and was inundated with offers on how to become a fighter pilot from all of those who had survived the attack on the Death Star. He stayed quiet, watching as Bodhi went from nothing but a passive observer to quietly making suggestions and finally, being confident enough to debate with the other Rebels.

Besides, the more confident that Bodhi became in public, the same happened in private.

It was little things at first. As Bodhi became more confident with the pilots, offering up suggestions on modifications and techniques for piloting ships, he started to talk more back in their quarters, sounding out his ideas to test out the theory and engineering details behind them. From there, he began to slowly start talking about other things. They weren’t the most profound things in the world; how Han had been shot down by the Princess Leia _again,_ how several of the pilots were discussing taking apart C-3PO, that almost all of the pilots had bets on when Jyn and Captain Andor would get together. Their quarters were once more filled with Bodhi’s voice and Galen could not have been more pleased.

It helped that, in the purposes of full disclosure, Galen had told Bodhi that he had spoken to both Tonc and Jyn, that he knew everything that had happened since Bodhi left Eadu on Galen’s errand. He had told Bodhi that he had done everything that Galen had asked of him and more. That he had gone over and above for the Rebellion and Galen could not be more proud of him. That Bodhi had nothing to be ashamed of, especially where the Bor Gullet and the events on Jedha were concerned. Galen had done his best to impress on Bodhi that lesser men would have crumpled under the strain of what Bodhi had survived.

From there, other things started to return to normal. It was as though a weight had been lifted from Bodhi’s shoulders. He started to return to the bright, happy soul that he had been before he left Eadu for the final time, his smile lighting up the rebel base. He wasn’t afraid to tangle their hands together in the hanger, leaning against Galen as he discussed some new improvement to one of the X-wings or pressing a kiss to his cheek. In their bedroom, Bodhi no longer waited for Galen to pull him close to sleep, snuggling close of his volition.

Progress was slow but worth it.

In many respects, it was as though they were new lovers all over again. Galen may have the previous memories of their relationship in his head, but he was enjoying rediscovering Bodhi as a lover. Everything that Bodhi had experienced hadn’t just affected him mentally, but physically as well. The burns from the grenade had left patches of newly sensitive skin where it had grown back thanks to the bacta treatments. Galen took great delight in discovering every single one of those spots, pulling quiet mewls and breathy gasps of pleasure from Bodhi’s lips. He might not be the same Bodhi, not quite, but he was still Galen’s Bodhi and that was what mattered.

Galen’s feisty magpie finally made his public return several months after the destruction of the Death Star. They had been sat with the rest of Rogue One after dinner, watching as Jyn and Cassian jibed and argued with each other in a manner that could best be described as flirting. Galen’s arm had been slung around Bodhi’s shoulders, fingers casually playing with the soft locks of Bodhi’s ponytail. The last thing that Galen had been expecting as his fingers brushed against bare skin was for Bodhi to leap from his seat and practically drag him in the direction of their quarters.

(~*~)

In the hours that followed Galen and Bodhi’s retreat to their bedroom, the other members of Rogue One slowly emerged from their rooms one by one and congregated in the mess hall. The crew of Rogue One had all been given rooms close to each other in the base and they had liked that initially. After the last few hours, they weren’t so sure anymore.

“Little brother has found his voice again.” Baze rumbled as Chirrut attempted to make himself comfortable on his husbands’ shoulder.

“Is it bad I almost want him to lose it again?”

For once, none of them disagreed with K2.

“He’s so loud. I could hear everything; the moans, the screaming, the begging, the…” Cassian broke off with a shudder. “Why did they build this base with such thin walls?”

Jyn raised her head from where she had been slowly but steadily banding it against the table. “What are you all complaining about? This is far worse for me than any of you. Galen’s my dad. I heard my papa having sex, and not just sex but making someone scream. And not just someone, but Bodhi. _Our Bodhi._ I never need to hear that again.”

“We’re going to have to talk to them. If we don’t then it will just keep happening and I need my sleep.”

“How do we decide who talks to them?”

“I vote Cassian. He’s the leader of the group.”

“No. No, no, no. How about Baze? Surely he’s the most diplomatic.”

“No way. It should be Jyn. She’s friends with Bodhi and it’s her dad.”

“Not fair! You’re all friends with Bodhi too.”

“Yes, but Galen is your father. You will speak with them.”

“I hate you all. Fine.”

Several hours later, it was a very happy albeit tired Galen that made his way to the mess hall for first meal, one arm firmly wrapped around Bodhi’s waist. Even now, Bodhi was still happily chatting away about some ship modifications he was working on. His voice was a little hoarse, but Galen’s beloved magpie was back. He had the Bodhi that he had fallen in love with back. That wasn’t to say that he wouldn’t have loved Bodhi and stayed with him even if he had remained silent, but it was nice to see – and hear – his lover. However, when they arrived at the mess hall, their nearest and dearest weren’t as cheerful as Galen and Bodhi. They all looked tired and grumpy; the complete opposite of Galen and Bodhi, who may be tired but were ecstatic.

“What’s the matter with you all?”

“Yeah, you don’t look like you got a lot of sleep.”

“Isn’t that strange. I wonder whose fault that is.”

Galen knew that Jyn had a rather combative relationship with K2, but he was rather fond of the sassy droid. Right now though, he was simply confused.

As was Bodhi.

“I don’t understand. What are you talking about?”

There was silence as everyone exchanged glances, but none of them seemed to want to speak up and respond to Bodhi’s question until Jyn clearly drew the short straw and, with a deep blush on her cheeks and refusing to make eye-contact, spoke.

“Papa, I love you – and Bodhi – but please, for the love of the Force, if you don’t request a room at the other end of the base immediately, I will never speak to you again. The same goes for the rest of us. I’m – we’re – delighted that you’re happy, but none of us need to hear that again.”

“Hear what?”

Galen could already feel the blush on his cheeks, not helped by Bodhi’s cluelessness. “You could hear…”

“Everything.” Cassian’s voice was monotone.

“Galen, what…”

Galen leant over and whispered in Bodhi’s ear and his response was to blanch and try to hide in Galen’s shoulder muttering “oh fuck” multiple times.

“You said that a lot last night as well. We could hear you quite clearly.”

“Yes, thank you, K2.” Bodhi had only just found his voice; Galen didn’t want him to lose it again.

“I had a question actually. There was one point – I think it was the first time Bodhi screamed – and I was just wondered what you did? I’m always looking for new things to try on Baze.”

Galen didn’t know who looked the most mortified at Chirrut’s question, but none of them could lock gazes. It was certainly the quietest meal that they had all sat through together and, when they were finished, the others couldn’t get away quick enough. Chirrut looked as though he wanted to linger, to ask more questions, but Galen was eternally grateful when Baze dragged him away, leaving him and Bodhi alone. Galen’s pulse sped up a couple of notches when he saw the thoughtful expression on Bodhi’s face.

“Magpie…”

“Am I really that loud when we have sex? I mean, I know that I’m a bit loud, but am I really so loud that they can hear me through the walls?” Bodhi didn’t give Galen a chance to respond, his mouth going a parsec a minute. “Is it bad that I’m so loud? Do you hate it? Why did you never say anything? Galen, you know you’re the first man I’ve…”

Oh yes, Galen knew very well that he was Bodhi’s first and, while the pressure had been there to make it good, he treasured the honour. “Magpie, calm. Listen to me, Bodhi. Yes, you are loud during sex. Very loud. Did I know you could be heard through walls? No. The thought crossed my mind on Eadu because I didn’t want us to get caught, but we never did, and I put it out of my mind. Do you know why? Because I love how vocal you are. I love how uninhibited you know. Knowing that it’s me who is pulling those responses from you is a gift and a massive turn on.”

“Are you sure? I mean, maybe I should try to be quieter…”

“Bodhi.” Galen’s voice was firm. “I love you, you know that. That wouldn’t have changed if you’d barely spoken again, but having you silent in my bed just wasn’t quite the same. I love that you found your voice again and I will always want you to be as loud as you desire in our bed.”

“Promise?” Bodhi wasn’t trying to be coquettish in the way that he looked up at Galen through his eyelashes, he was just capable of turning Galen on by doing the most mundane things. And then he caught his bottom lip between his teeth and Galen was gone.

The previous conversation may as well never have happened.

“They’ve all gone through the main hangar … let me show you just how much I love it when you’re loud.”

 


End file.
